For far too long our online efforts have accurately been classified as faith-based initiatives…that’s exactly how we made decisions for our offline efforts, and when we moved online, we duplicated those practices. But online, in the glorious beautiful world of the Web, we do not have to rely on faith…you have a God-given right to be data-driven…to understand the impact and economic value of your website by doing rigorous outcomes analysis…web analytics is like Angelina Jolie; sexy, powerful, and a force for good.
-Avinash Kaushik (@avinash), Web Analytics 2.0
Highest Paid vs. Data
In a typical business, the highest paid person’s opinion usually wins. This does not mean that their opinion is always the most informed though. It’s just the most powerful. The problem is that it is also the least accountable. But, in the world of the Web, there’s a new sheriff in town. Data. This is because data (when used correctly) can provide accountability for decisions made.
It gives us a basis for determining if a decision is working or not. Previously, if the highest paid person thought the billboard should be a certain color, there was no way to tell if that was the right choice or not. Now, when the highest paid person believes that a button on a site should be changed, he can be held accountable for that belief. Either the change gets better results or it doesn’t. Do you see how this changes the whole game?
When it comes to something as important as marketing your business, why would you rely on your opinion when you can swim in facts? Allow the facts to show you what to do rather than take shots in the dark. We’ve moved into a time where data and (more importantly) the people who turn data into changes that make more profit should be higher paid people.
Your turn: What do you have to add? Learn anything new? Have anything to correct?